


Episode 6: Water Works Well

by PitoyaPTx



Series: Clan Meso'a [6]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Clan Ordo, Clone Wars era, Gen, Mandalorian, Mandalorian Culture, Tatooine (Star Wars), harsh parents, kind older brother, moisture farmer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 11:32:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17745152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitoyaPTx/pseuds/PitoyaPTx
Summary: "Not dehydrating is one of my specialties." ~BeonWe like to criticise people for their choices, and sometimes we're right.





	Episode 6: Water Works Well

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: some hints at parental abuse, so read at your own discretion! :(

Fent opened the door and looked out at the incoming speeder. Two figures, a broad shouldered male and petite female, cruised into sight laughing and tapping the dashboard to some pop song he didn’t care to know about. Beon cracked an eye. Lounging on the sofa was all he wanted to do after the debacle at the spaceport. Not even five minutes after landing, Fent spotted an easy target: a spice smuggler who’d crossed one too many locals.  
“Never thought easy credits would run so fast!” Fent shouted over the screaming transients, blaster drawn as the two chased the Rattataki down.  
The Twi’lek was still nursing the bruised nose she left him with when the promised handymen arrived.  
“They’re just kids,” Fent muttered over his shoulder, not bothering to mask his misgivings since his helmet was still on.  
“Give them a chance,” Beon flicked his wrist lazily, “The sooner we can get water the better.”  
“I know but-hello!” he stammered, just now noticing the pair standing before him.  
The older boy had a bushy, auburn beard and dark brown eyes. He seemed well mannered, offering Fent a firm, gloved handshake.  
“Name’s Dovin,” he said with a smile, “This is my sister, Cara.”  
Cara, a petite blonde with green eyes, nodded shyly at the heavily armored man in the door.  
“Fent Ordo,” Fent said in return, “Beon’s the lump on the couch.”  
Beon waved and gave his friend a firm kick to the ass. Cara giggled into her hand.  
“Pa said your filters needed changing and-”  
“The tank is busted,” Fent said, gingerly rubbing his backside, “Blaster holes by the looks of it.”  
Neither farmer showed any indication that this wasn’t a common occurrence. Cara even rolled her eyes.  
“I knew Luntz got himself offed,” she murmured to her brother.  
He chuckled, “Well no one accused him of intelligence.”  
Fent snickered, “Guess you knew ‘im?”  
Dovin nodded and tightened his toolbelt, “Yeah, he was a long time client. Think he and his wife were selling spice, though. Nasty pair,” he added, looking distasteful.  
It was Beon’s turn to laugh, “Were they Rattataki?”  
“The missus was,” Dovin called inside, “Why?”  
He sat up and pointed to his purple, crooked nose.  
“Ha! Guess y’all met her?”  
“Wined, dined, sent her to prison,” Fent said, “Yeah I guess you can say that.” 

Dovin and Cara set about fixing the water filtration system to the tune of the hunters’ stories. After explaining what traffic was and just how big most neon signs were in the Core Worlds, it became clear that neither farmer had ever left Tatooine. While Fent and Dovin exchanged bad puns, Cara simply listened as she greased the new pipes and added fresh tablets to the filtration system.  
“You’ll want to add these once a week,” she explained to Beon, “It’ll keep the algae from forming in the waste tanks. Some algae is good, but not the kind these kill.”  
He nodded and set the box of tablets on a shelf above the main pump, “Anything else?”  
She shook her head.  
“Cara!” Dovin called from the doorway, “We should get back, ok?”  
Cara gave Beon another nod before trotting into the main portion of the house; he and Fent waved from the steps as the pair disappeared into the dunes.  
“They weren’t so bad, eh?” Beon remarked as he shut the door.  
“Yeah,” Fent agreed, slumping onto the couch and removing his helmet, “Never batted an eye at our hunts.”  
“Guess they see things like that a lot out here?”  
“Maybe,” Fent crossed his arm over his face, “Or they’re just a couple of kids desperate to leave this place.” 

Fent opened the door without his helmet this time, smiling as Cara’s face appeared on the other side.  
“Hello, vod,” he said, ruffling her hair, “How’s it been?”  
She gave him a weak smile, “Pa wanted me to let you know that he’ll be delivering the water from now on.”  
“That so?” Beon peered over Fent’s shoulder, “He agreeable?”  
Cara shook her head, smile fading.  
“Dovin busy?”  
She grew pale.  
“Yeah… real busy,” she replied, fidgeting with her fingers behind her back.  
“Something wrong?” Beon pushed passed to see her better.  
Cara barely met his eyes; “No,” she lied, “But I have your first round.”  
She scurried away to the speeder; both hunters looked at one another then slowly followed her, taking the jugs from her as she unloaded them. She showed them which valve controlled the water pressure and how to fill the input tank without overflowing it. The jugs had to be emptied in one at a time and it sometimes took up an hour to fully filter each load. Most farms could pre-filter the water, but their farm, she explained, wouldn’t be nearly as affordable to their customers if they did that.  
“That’s why Pa also charges for upkeeping the pumps,” she said as they topped off the tank, “I’ll come back for the jugs next week. Best keep them in case there’s another leak.”  
“I thought you two fixed that?” Fent asked.  
“We did, but this system is old. You can change the parts but it’s always good to plan for an emergency.”  
“I...guess that makes sense.” Beon said, setting the empty jugs back down.  
She nodded absently and took her leave; they watched until her speeder dipped out of sight.  
“I don’t like this,” Beon said as Fent shut the door.  
“Neither do I.”  
“What do you make of it?”  
Fent shrugged. “Don’t think it’s our place.”  
“But keeping the jugs… that tank is brand new. It’s not going to burst ‘cause we’re not dumb enough to bring work home,” Beon pointed out.  
Fent simply nodded, but said nothing for a moment.  
“You don’t think something happened to him?”  
“In this heat, anything can happen.” 

Cara flushed as they handed the jugs out to her.  
“Not dead,” she whispered to Beon as her father was otherwise occupied talking up the farm to Fent, “He got married. Moved away.”  
“Congratulations?” Beon offered.  
She nodded and gave him a polite smile, “Better than being here.”  
“Not much to do here,” Beon agreed.  
Cara glanced over her shoulder. Fent’s body language reminded her of every customer when her father “graced” their presence: annoyed but not wanting their water supply cut off.  
“Does he-”  
“Ah you must be Beahawn!” Hugh walked over, a greedy smile on his face as he butchered the Mandalorian’s name.  
Beon’s eye twitched but he took the older man’s hand nonetheless. Cara quickly moved away, busying herself with the old jugs.  
“He’s-”  
“A bit much?”  
Fent regarded her. Her back was rigid, her face red.  
“He doesn’t-”  
“I’m fine,” she interrupted, securing the last jug and lifting the cooler lid to retrieve the new ones.  
“Here, I’ll-”  
“No no,” Hugh stopped Beon before he could leave the steps, “Our services include delivery and installation!” he puffed out his chest, “Cara, get the jugs inside before they spoil.”  
Cara nodded obediently but struggled to lift the containers. Beon balled up his fist, but stayed where he was, only moving to let Cara get by him. As soon as Hugh turned to pontificate to Fent again, Beon stopped her in the doorway and told her to just set them to the side where her father couldn’t see them.  
“We’ll take it from here,” he whispered.  
Exhausted appreciation spread across her features. Beon’s heart sank even further. 

“And if you ever embarrass me in front of a client again!” Fent slammed the door shut just as Hugh’s tirade began.  
“Vod, I swear-”  
“Let it be,” he placed a firm hand against Beon’s chest before the Twi’lek could reach the door.  
“You saw the way she as acting,” he protested, “I bet he-”  
“That’s not our concern!” Fent pushed back, swallowing his own fury, “What are we supposed to do, huh? The order could come in any day now, we can’t get involved.”  
Beon shoved him away, but stayed where he was seething still.  
“I just-”  
“We’re not Jedi, vod. We’re not peacekeepers or people who take on every injustice we see,” Fent put a hand on his shoulder, “I care about her too, alright? But it’s not our place.”  
Beon let out a sigh, consenting to sit down.  
“It’s probably just hard without Dovin around,” he said, half to convince himself that’s all it was.  
“Yeah. I bet that’s it,” Fent agreed, “I bet that’s it..”


End file.
